All produce sellers must label their fruits and vegetables with price and origin (where they're grown). (File 2013/Staff Photo)
Opening day at The Shed, formerly known as Shed No. 1 at the Dallas Farmers Market, was a little hectic with last-minute glitches. But there was enough to visualize the (hopes for) the shape of things to come. You can come see for yourself Saturday, Sunday or Monday.
The Shed is more like an open-floor market pavilion of individual stands and tents with one raised bank of vendor stalls on the south side. The whole place was about half-full today, and not quite half of the vendors were produce dealers. (You can expect to see more farmers and artisans tomorrow.)
But what a difference from the old Shed No. 3. All produce sellers are required to label their wares with where they were grown and whether they’re organic or conventional. Of course, that relies on the sellers to be honest, and I think most of them were. It was so refreshing to see table grapes clearly labeled from Fresno, Calif., and Jazz apples from New Zealand.
Not everyone had every item marked, but that’s to be expected as the sellers make the transition to this new way. One thing for sure: The signage makes it easier to compare.
It was great to see old faces such as the Texas Honeybee Guild, Lucido’s (fresh pasta and sauces), JuHa Ranch (new item: chorizo) and Brazos Valley Cheese.
There were some cool new-ish-bies, too, such as as Boom Juice (uber-cold-juicer: vegan, Paleo, gluten-free), Queen’s Winery (honey wine), tcbii Italian ice and Chilitepin King. Did you know that the chilitepin (say “chile-tah-PEEN”) is the state chile of Texas and may be the original wild chile? I was sure out of that loop.
Best advice for tomorrow: Shop early. And expect a big crowd. Everyone’s curious about our “new” Dallas Farmers Market, and I predict bunches of people will be there to check it out. 1010 S. Pearl Expressway.
P.S. Shed No. 2 is officially closed, but the restrooms and ATM machine are still accessible. There’s no AC, however.